Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser., 1887-09-30
The Campaign Opened.

The first gun of the Democratic CAM
paign was sounded at Towsontown, Balti-
more county, on Tuesday night. A grand
mass meeting filed the capacious court
house to overlooking and;ex Governor W.
Pinknev Wbyte made an able and aggres.
siye speech of an hour and half, in the
course OF which he ssid:;
:s'The democratic party have never been the
party of fraudulent elections. The great mass
Of its voters repudiate all such practice, and
when bad men in its ranks commit outrages
upon its good name, it supports and approves
of such crimes To-day, by its most solemn
pledges in a convention made up of its best
citizens-yes, of the very men and the soIs OF
the men who in 1860 rescued this State and
CITY of Baltimore from the grasp of the know
netbings and the wholesale disfranchisement I
by the republicans of ls66-it stands obligated
to amend the laws and system of registration
by which frauds upon the ballotbox are pos
sible." [Great applause
But the republicans say that the democrats
cannot be trusted to keep these pledges; that
theirs is the party in favor Of free ballot, y
ia fair count" and ''correct returns" and on
" by their restoration to power can II ese
blessings be enjoyed. Parties are Tested by the
record of their past deeds, apd history has re-
corded how faitbless to freedom Of elections,
fairness of counting and correctness of returns
the repub blcan party. as party. have BEEN
As early as 1864 Governor Bradford, the war
Governor, in his message of that ear deRounc-
ed the method by which the election Of 1868
had been conducted. He said "A few days
before the election military order was issued
from the army headquarters at Baltimore which
in effect placed the polls under the surveii-
apce and at The command OF the military au-
thorities," After reciting in detail the out
RACES perpetated By the soldiery at that elec-
tion. he ads: "a part of the army, which a
generous people had supplied for a very
diff.ren, purpose, was, on that day engaged
in stiRng the freedom of elections in a faithful
STAT, intimidating its sworn officers, violating
th constitutional rights of its loyal citizens,
I'D obstructing the usual channels Of commu-
'nication between them and their executive
In 1864, in order to bold the State perpetually
in their grasp, the republicans held n cousiitu-
tional con vention and devised a scheme Of reg
istration aud disfranchisemeHt unknown to
the history of free government. This system
OF registration was put upon the people of this
State by the republicans in that constitution
of 1864 which was adopted and forced upon
rs BY the soldiers IN the field by the bare ma
jority Of 27l votes. There were but 80, l74
votes for it, including the sol dIers while there
we're 29, 799 votes against ii, 81 blank and so
not counted. This constitution requires the
Legislature to provide by Law for uniform
registration Of the names of the voters in the
State. and then proceeded to disqualifv at leas,
one half of the voters Of Maryland. Then fol-
lowed the act of 1865, chapter Ia, carr. ilg
out these constitutional provisions. And un-
der these devices of law every man ho had
the slightest sympathy with the people OF the
South wss excluded from all partici patton in
the affairs of bis State and put into political
bondage which would have been hopeless but
for the consequent Intervention of Governor
Swami, in 1866. Under Gov. Swann's more
generous administration broader construction
of the qualifications required for voters was
made by the officers OF registration, and large
body of those who had previously been dis.
franchsed we're classed under the voting pop
ulation, and By desperate struggle in 1866
the people Of Marylsnd were ems nciPated from
the political servitude under which for years
they had suffered. The resis stance of the repub
Icans to this act Of justice TO our people was 50
great that they made an Intellectual attempt to
have soldiers sent by the President TO prevent
its accom- plishment. \ constitutional coaven-
ton followed, and a new organic Law was Or
daned by the pecpe. For twenty years We
have lived under an enjoyed prosperity no,
surpassed in any nlilar period Of the State {
history. [Appiau:e.